Is Dont' a Hightower the next Ray Lewis?

This offseason has been interesting. Early draft talk centered around DeCastro, who would be a fantastic pick. Now talk centers around Mark Barron who could shore up Dallas' defensive backfield. But the guy nobody is talking about is OLB/DE Dont' a Hightower.

I'm posting about Hightower because this is the player I want Dallas to draft. This guy is such a game changer that he'll be a great value in the draft. And he's a leader, with the kind of leadership ability that guys Dlike Ray Lewis command.

I think Hightower is the kind of guy that can come into this Defense and take it over as a rookie, and become the team leader as the season unfolds.

Hightower is a funny player in that he has been projected at ILB, OLB and even DE.

I know some are down on him right now because he did very poorly on agility testing and in the linebacking drills on his pro day. Some feel that he has never recovered from his knee injury back in 2009.

He is an intriguing player if you are looking for an ILB with some blitzing ability and can live with the poor coverage skills he is likely to have.

He is probably not a good pick for us because we are full at ILB now (too full for a first rounder anyway) and I don't think he is ideal for our SOLB opening.

I don't think he gets enough credit for how fase a pick he would be. I think he is the second safest pick behind Decastro. He may not turn out to be elite, pro-bowl material but, I think you have a day one 10 year starter who wouldn't be any drop-off from James at the very least. He doesn't have the athletic ability of some of the other guys but he is such a pure football player and so versatile that the possibility for him to have some elite years is there.

I would love the Hightower pick. He brings so much versatility to the defense. He could play inside (on running downs for sure), he could rush the passer from the outside, spell Spencer/Ware, or even put his hand on the ground in 4-man fronts at DE. I think he would be an amazing addition to Rob's defense, you could line him up in 6 of the front 7 positions at any given time.

...Also, we could probably trade down to the 18-21 range and still land him.

Hightower is a funny player in that he has been projected at ILB, OLB and even DE.

I know some are down on him right now because he did very poorly on agility testing and in the linebacking drills on his pro day. Some feel that he has never recovered from his knee injury back in 2009.

He is an intriguing player if you are looking for an ILB with some blitzing ability and can live with the poor coverage skills he is likely to have.

He is probably not a good pick for us because we are full at ILB now (too full for a first rounder anyway) and I don't think he is ideal for our SOLB opening.

I would love the Hightower pick. He brings so much versatility to the defense. He could play inside (on running downs for sure), he could rush the passer from the outside, spell Spencer/Ware, or even put his hand on the ground in 4-man fronts at DE. I think he would be an amazing addition to Rob's defense, you could line him up in 6 of the front 7 positions at any given time.

...Also, we could probably trade down to the 18-21 range and still land him.

I hope he is our first pick but this board has already made up its mind on DeCastro and Barron(I think we will take Cox which is a good second choice). This guy may be available in the low twenties and I think he will be one of the better defensive players of this years draft. He is the Tyson Chandler on defense, come his way as long as you can pay the toll and everyone walks with a little more swagger.
"His linebacker skills are lacking maturity because, he has changed positions just about every year he has played. At this point his impact position is as a OLB/DE in a 3-4 defense, but he will also impact as a OLB in a 4-3 or DE in a 4-3. Dont'a should impact right away as a pass rusher and if you keep his assignments simple for awhile, he should impact as an OLB also. Think Derrick Thomas (former LB/DE Kansas City Chiefs)" Huddlereport

Wish I could find that article about his tears curing cancer but I seem to have misplaced that report.

It is what I remember hearing from his Pro day that the scouts thought he lacked the mobility to play LB. This was surprising to me because I thought he moved really well on the football field. However, if he is as slow and stiff as they claim him to be he would be a major liability in pass defense in this system. His short shuttle was only 4.64 and 3-cone drill was 7.55 that is too slow for a good edge rusher and pretty slow for an ILB. Lots of people complain that Dan Connor was too slow for an ILB but he ran the same 40 (4.68) as Hightower but had a short shuttle of 4.25 and a 3-cone drill of 6.78.

I could see him following the path of Brandon Spikes who went into the draft process as a mid first rounder but ended up being a late 2nd rounder to the Pats.

I just don't think he fits with us due to limited athletic ability/stiffness.

He may be best off bulking up a bit to play DE in a 4-3 defense which plays some 3-4 where he flexes out as an OLB. I just think he will get eaten up in coverage here and doesn't have enough burst/agility to be an effective edge rusher.

I hope he is our first pick but this board has already made up its mind on DeCastro and Barron(I think we will take Cox which is a good second choice). This guy may be available in the low twenties and I think he will be one of the better defensive players of this years draft. He is the Tyson Chandler on defense, come his way as long as you can pay the toll and everyone walks with a little more swagger.
"His linebacker skills are lacking maturity because, he has changed positions just about every year he has played. At this point his impact position is as a OLB/DE in a 3-4 defense, but he will also impact as a OLB in a 4-3 or DE in a 4-3. Dont'a should impact right away as a pass rusher and if you keep his assignments simple for awhile, he should impact as an OLB also. Think Derrick Thomas (former LB/DE Kansas City Chiefs)" Huddlereport

Wish I could find that article about his tears curing cancer but I seem to have misplaced that report.

... I don't know about anybody else, but I would love to draft a LB this year that will lead the team in tackles and be the heart of the defense for the next 5 or 6 seasons. I would like to have a 24 year old Bradie James back on the team.

No matter how one spins it Bradie was always a liability who other teams couldn't wait to attack.

Sean Lee definitely blows Bradie off the field now, in 2012. Bradie James led the Cowboys in tackles for 4 or 5 years in a row. That doesn't sound like a liability, it sounds more like he would stop the play if it came his way. Sure he's not the player he used to be (he lost a step or two), but let's not act like he was never any good.